Nagaland police recruitment: No compromise, says tribal union

Dimapur, Feb. 28 (EMN): The Naga Tribal Union Chümoukedima (NTUCT) has once again requested the Director General of Police (DGP), Nagaland to cancel 934 appointments and conduct open recruitment against those subsequent vacancies.

In a representation to the DGP, the union reiterated that it would allow training of only those 206 recruits who were absorbed through open recruitment.          

It stated that the documents produced by the DGP to NTUCT members during their meeting on February 21 were of “no relevance to the present imbroglio and rather, it pertains to constitution of committees after committees to look into the random affairs of the department and for streamlining administrative/appointment irregularities”.

“That regarding claims of empowering unit commanders under the Nagaland Police Manuals, inter-alia, Part-lll Rule 20 (1), all the departments in Nagaland have designated officials who are empowered to make appointments strictly in accordance with law by following recruitment process; and neither under the Constitution of India nor in any state statutory rules and regulations, Police department has been exempted/excluded from  making appointments without following recruitment process.

“ln 2006, the Supreme Court in state of Karnataka -vrs- Umadevi case has laid down the law of the land that any appointment made without making general advertisement for all to participate is illegal, and basing on the settled law, in PIL No. 11(k)/15, WP (c) No. 145 (k) /17 filed by Acaut and PSAN, the Gauhati High Court upheld Umadev’s case. The state government filed WA No. 16(k)/2018 against it, but dismissed the appeal and upheld Acaut and PSAN writ petition; and the Police department is no exception in making backdoor appointments under any law, whatsoever,” it stated.

Unless all vacancies were advertised, the union asserted, it would not relent or compromise “with options and assertions made by the department”.

It added that the total of 934 posts include the 400 vacancies referred to by the deputy chief minister in the recently concluded Assembly session.